Review for Skinhead... the Life I Chose

I read this in about 4 hours,an easy read and I'm a quick reader. I'm sure Spike Pitt will be the first to admit he's no Shakespeare but it's quite an entertaining read, not least as I'm about the same age as Spike and it brought back memories as well as clearing up the reality of a story I've heard that always did seem unbelievable.
I remember when Skinheads first appeared,as Spike says there were no politics and even in my town where there were at the time very few Black people there were 2 or 3 well-known Black Skins. I was too young to join in but I remember more than one neighbour complaining to my Dad,"I wanted him to get his hair cut but I'm not sure about this". Spike's story is one of violence and criminality which might shock many but as someone who grew up in the same times as Ray Winston says in his autobiography full of similar stories, "that's the way it was back then" in towns and big cities.Some of the stories do seem exaggerated but again I could tell plenty that many would find equally hard to believe, difference being I choose not to share as an older man.
Mostly I enjoyed what I read,I was a "second time around" Skin and not particularly hardcore at that and the parties,the brotherhood and the "in it together" attitude rang a bell. Those days are along way behind me but I still see people my age around locally still doing the Skin thing.
Reading Spike's version of the Cockney Rejects concert in Birmingham made the book worth reading on it's own for me,I've read and seen on YouTube endless recounting of the band and/or their mates giving a version of that story that has them single-handedly defeating mass ranks of Birmingham hooligans with ease. As I know from personal experience these guys are full of it and you can't take much of what;s in their books at face value. I was amazed to find a small incident related in a book by a Chelsea "top boy" where another hero was injured in a cowardly ambush where they were seriously outnumbered. The reality was at least 15 of Hooligandom's finest charging 4 young lads who defended themselves with "what was at hand" at which point the police turned up and London'd finest legged it. there were no heroics on either side....until it was embellished to save blushes presumably.
A decent read if you "were there", a bit of social history if you were not,it's not great,it's not bad ,certainly better than anything Jason Marriner has written.